The

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). O ...

ranks follows the NATO system of ranks and insignia, as does the rest of the

Danish Defence Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The De ...

. Outside this ranking system there are

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s (who may wear the same insignia in the Army/Air Force but with a slight variation in the Navy),

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

s and

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

s, while

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s and judicial personnel wear totally different insignia and are without rank.

Current ranks

Besides the NATO-system, the Danish defence utilizes its own system, which for the navy is as follows: * Military personnel, level 400 (M400): Executive level: OF-5 through OF-9 * Military personnel, level 300 (M300): Operational level: OF-1 through OF-4 * Military personnel, level 200 (M200): NCO level: OR-5 through OR-9 * Military personnel, level 100 (M100): Seamen level: OR-1 through OR-4

Officers

The highest officer's rank is OF-9 (

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

) which is reserved for the

Chief of Defence The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position wit ...

(only when this seat is occupied by a naval officer). The Prince Consort of Denmark held the rank of Admiral ( à la suite). Similarly, OF-8 ( Vice-admiral) is reserved for the ''Vice Chief of Defence''). OF-7 ( Kontreadmiral) is used by the

Chief of the Royal Danish Navy The Chief of the Royal Danish Navy is the professional head of the Royal Danish Navy. History Originally the commander of the navy was the King, with daily control given to the . The Admiralty existed from 1660 until the end of absolute monarchy ...

and OF-6 ( Flotilleadmiral) by the chief of Danish Task Group as well as keepers of high-office positions. OF-4 and OF-5 are mainly chiefs of squadrons, schools and larger vessels. OF-1 through OF-3 are used in a variety of positions. Furthermore, officers of between the ranks of OF-9 and OF-6, have their own standards. File:Naval Rank Flag of Denmark - Admiral.svg, ''Admiralsflag'' File:Naval Rank Flag of Denmark - Vice Admiral.svg, ''Viceadmiralsflag'' File:Naval Rank Flag of Denmark - Rear Admiral.svg, ''Kontreadmiralsflag'' File:Naval Rank Flag of Denmark - Flotilla Admiral.svg, ''Flotilleadmiralsflag'' File:Naval Rank Flag of Denmark - Chief of Squadron.svg, ''Eskadrechefsstander''

Enlisted

The Danish OR's also follow the NATO system, though there are no OR-6's. OR-4 (Korporal) is the highest of the M100-level ranks is and not considered a NCO-rank. File:Danish Navy rank insignia for seniormekaniker.svg,
(Senior leading

Mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

) File:Danish Navy rank insignia for overmekaniker af 1. grad.svg,
(Leading

1st class) File:Danish Navy rank insignia for overmekaniker af 2. grad.svg,
(Leading

2nd class) File:Danish Navy rank insignia for mekaniker.svg,
(

) File:Rank insignia of marinekonstabelelev of the Royal Danish Navy.svg,
(Marinekonstabel with no branch of service) File:Rank insignia of Værnepligtige of the Royal Danish Navy.svg,
( Seaman recruit) The Branch of Service logos are placed in the middle of the ranks, to signify the service. RDN gunner service badge.svg,
(Gunner) RDN torpedo service badge.svg,
(Torpedo) RDN communication service badge.svg,
(Communication)

Naval Chaplains

Denmark-Navy-Dean.svg, Naval Dean Denmark-Navy-Chaplain.svg, Naval Chaplain

Historical ranks

The sleeve insignia was first introduced in the Royal Navy in 1871 and was based around the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. In order to become more standard, the admiral ranks were changed in 1951.

Timeline of changes

Other ranks

References

Badges of Rank for the Royal Danish Navy, 2016Badges of Rank for the Royal Danish Navy, 2016
(in Danish)
Heraldry of the RDN
(in Danish) {{Military ranks by country Royal Danish Navy Military ranks of Denmark